Opening Ceremony

In fact, the original purpose of the Tianhai Alliance Competition was to select outstanding talents from the Skysea Alliance and nurture them into pillars of the alliance.

Political factions abounded within the Federation, and the Skysea Alliance itself was a formidable force. Especially in terms of economics, it could be considered one of the alliance's major giants.

However, what frustrated the Skysea Alliance was that the entire Eastsea region had begun developing relatively late. It was easy enough to improve economically, but building up a solid foundation was not something that could be done in a day or two. Many major inland cities had great families with inheritances spanning thousands, even tens of thousands, of years. The talents within those families had been cultivated through generations of experience, giving them deep reserves and solid foundations.

Therefore, the Skysea Alliance had always been most lacking in talent. As a result, it had consistently lagged behind in certain critical fields.

In the eyes of some inland regions and even the Federation's upper ranks, the Skysea Alliance was merely an economic contributor. It had nothing particularly outstanding beyond that, and its status had always hovered around the middle tier of the Federation.

How could those in power within the Skysea Alliance be willing to accept that? Around two hundred years ago, they established the Tianhai Alliance Competition to select and encourage talented individuals. Not only were the prizes generous, but special rewards were also provided to help these talents improve and pursue further studies, thereby better strengthening the Skysea Alliance's foundations.

Early in the morning, the delegations representing the various cities had already entered the stadium and begun waiting.

The enormous stadium was packed as far as the eye could see. The stands had long since filled up, with not a single seat left empty.

The opening ceremony was still full of the same old clichés. Lin Xiuran kept his eyes closed in meditation and paid little attention.

Only when the people around him suddenly burst into cheers did Lin Xiuran slowly open his eyes and look over the venue.

The stadium had become a sea of celebration, with everyone around him brimming with excitement. Meanwhile, a raised platform was rapidly being assembled in the center of the field.

"Today marks the beginning of the Tianhai Alliance Competition. We have specially invited a team from Shrek Academy to exchange pointers with our previous champions. Given Shrek Academy's tremendous strength, this exchange will be conducted across age groups. Our Skysea Alliance's seven-person youth division champions will challenge Shrek Academy's seven-member youth team. Now, please welcome both sides onto the stage."

Lin Xiuran understood immediately, though he was not particularly surprised. Unlike the others, he did not worship Shrek Academy so fervently.

The representatives from the Skysea Alliance were the previous youth division champions: seven students from Tianhai Academy. All of them were already over twenty this year and could only compete in the adult division.

Each wore a silver team uniform, looking heroic and spirited. There were five men and two women, moving in perfect unison. At a glance, it was clear they were powerful experts who had undergone long training. Every one of them was in peak condition, their eyes carrying a hint of excitement.

Lin Xiuran's gaze narrowed slightly. Among the Shrek Academy students, the two at the very back were Xu Lizhi and Ye Xinglan.

"Just as I thought..."

Yesterday, he had not been entirely certain of their identities. Although they had clashed, they had never exchanged names. Now, however, he was completely sure.

Naturally, Lin Xiuran knew the outcome of this exhibition match. Shrek Academy defeated the Skysea Alliance's seven-member team without any surprise.

Moreover, they did so with lightning speed, finishing in barely a minute. Most importantly, they had been fighting across age groups.

Even so, the Skysea Alliance team had not been able to display their abilities at all before being effortlessly swept aside.

As the girl at the rear stepped down from the stage, she suddenly lifted her eyes toward the spectator stands.

She seemed to spot Lin Xiuran. She raised her chin slightly, her proud expression seeming to challenge him.

Lin Xiuran could not decipher anything from expressions alone. He did not think much of it and merely closed his eyes to continue meditating.

His schedule was packed tomorrow. Both the individual and team competitions would begin with elimination rounds. A loss meant immediate elimination. Both events would take place tomorrow, as would the first round of the blacksmith competition.

After returning to the hotel, they chatted briefly before heading back to their rooms to rest. The competition was drawing near, and everyone was seizing every moment to cultivate. Last-minute preparation was still better than none.

His room faced the sea, and the fresh air relaxed Lin Xiuran considerably after he returned. This was also his first time participating in such a grand event, and he had three competitions to take part in.

Although he appeared calm, he was actually somewhat nervous inside.

He could only keep meditating to ease the pressure.

Yet not long after he entered his room, Guyue came to see him again.

She still appeared calm, merely asking tentatively, "Are you cultivating?"

"I'm meditating."

"I see." Guyue's eyes flickered slightly before she asked, "Have you mastered a new element?"

Lin Xiuran fell silent for a moment. Knowing he could not hide it from her, he nodded. "After breaking through Soul Power Level thirty, I mastered a new element."

"It's the Ice Element, isn't it? I sensed it." Guyue continued questioning him.

Lin Xiuran did not deny it. He simply raised his hand, and a blue Soul Ring rose around him as an icy aura suddenly spread outward.

Guyue stared intently at Lin Xiuran's Ice Element for a while, and a trace of confusion appeared in her eyes.

After a moment, she recovered herself, pressed her lips together, and said, "If you need my help, you can tell me."

"Mm. If I have questions about the Ice Element, I'll ask you for advice."

Guyue smiled faintly. After saying goodbye, she returned to her own room.

Lin Xiuran thought for a moment, then closed the door and went back inside.

An ordinary person might have assumed Guyue had merely come over out of curiosity. But Lin Xiuran knew her identity, so she would never do something so meaningless.

There was no doubt that she had come this time to probe him. After all, Lin Xiuran also possessed elemental power. Although he had not mastered as many elements at once as she had, he was gradually gaining control over other elemental powers as his Soul Power Level rose.

Guyue probably could not understand how, apart from herself and the Dragon God, anyone else in this world could control so many elemental powers at once.

Furthermore, Lin Xiuran's spiritual power was actually stronger than hers had been at this point. That naturally drew her attention.

Her purpose in coming to the human world was to understand and study humans. At this moment, Lin Xiuran clearly interested her greatly.

Although Guyue had set her sights on him, the old Lin Xiuran would certainly have had some reservations. But now, a complete Gu Yuena resided within his Sea of Consciousness.

And after spending so many days together, even when he saw the real Guyue, he seemed to feel a certain sense of closeness. In any case, he did not feel afraid of her.

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